The Children’s Services Act is a 1993 Virginia Law that provided for the pooling of 8 specific-funding streams used to purchase services for high-risk youth. These funds are returned to the localities with a required local match and are managed by local interagency teams. The purpose of the act is to provide high-quality, child-centered, family-focused, cost-effective, community-based services to high-risk youth and their families.

In 1989, the General Assembly became concerned because the cost of providing residential treatment to high-risk youth was increasing at approximately 22% each year. Because of this, a study of children in residential care was conducted. A total of 14,000 from 4 different state agencies were examined. Subsequent analysis showed that services were provided to only 4,993 individual children. In addition, 9 out of 10 of these children returned to their home communities where necessary changes in the child's community environment had not been made. The progress achieved in the residential facility was often lost.

At that point, it was decided that high-quality, less-restrictive, community-based services would be provided to these children if the funds were managed at the local level.

The CPMT is made up of at least 1 elected or appointed official or his designee and the agency heads or their designees from the local Department of Social Services, School System, Community Services Board (mental health), Court Services Unit (juvenile justice), local Health Department, a parent and, where appropriate, a private provider. This team holds administrative and fiscal responsibility for the local-funds pool, develops local policies and procedures, and appoints members of the Family Assessment and Planning Team.

The Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) is comprised of the supervisory-level staff from the same agencies as the CPMT as well as the parent and private providers. These teams work with the families to develop the Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP). If the services needed are beyond what is available in the participating agencies and there are no other family or community resources available, the team may choose to purchase them with local CSA pool funds.

In general, the children who would have been served by one of the original funding streams placed in the pool are targeted for services through CSA. The children who would have been served by education funds and/or foster care funds placed in the pool are considered mandated for service. This is because there is sum sufficient language attached to them in the Federal law and/or the Code of Virginia. Also considered mandated are those children who are at risk of removal from their own homes and meet the guidelines for Foster Care Prevention Services, as well as abused or neglected children, as defined in §63.2-100 of the Code of Virginia.

If funds are available, localities may choose to serve other children with emotional or behavioral problems, especially those with multi-agency involvement. Parents may be required to contribute financially toward the cost of CSA-funded services.

In the City of Roanoke, "non-mandated" funds are available to some children and families served by the Community Services Board (Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare), Court Services Unit, Roanoke City Public Schools and the local Department of Social Services. These funds are limited, and the City of Roanoke is not required to appropriate funds to serve this population.

Each locality develops its own policies and procedures governing how families access the teams. The City of Roanoke allows the local Department of Social Services, Roanoke City Public Schools, Community Services Board (Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare), the 23-A Court Service Unit, and parents to make referrals for potential funding. For more information, please call the CSA Coordinator at 540-853-5635.